Confab to highlight Israeli biotech cos.

Posted by Israel Industries press review of the week on novembre 15th, 2012

By Marie Szaniszlo

Monday, November 5, 2012 – Updated 1 week ago

More than 250 leaders in the life sciences industry, researchers, health care providers and investors will gather in Waltham beginning today for the third New England-Israel Business Council Life Sciences Summit.

The two-day forum at the Westin Hotel will feature more than 50 speakers who will discuss key issues affecting today’s delivery of health care and present promising Israeli life sciences companies addressing tomorrow’s challenges.

“The hope is to create new interactions between the Massachusetts and Israel life sciences ecosystems and invite a dozen Israeli companies to present their technologies,” said David Barone, chairman of the council’s life sciences committee and principal at Boston MedTech Advisors. “There are very significant collaborations already going on.”

As a result of Gov.Deval Patrick’s 2011 trade mission to Israel, EarlySense, an Israeli company that has developed a system to alert nurses to changes in hospitalized patients’ conditions, later opened its U.S. headquarters in Waltham, Barone said.

This year, Covidien, a $12 billion global health care products company whose U.S. headquarters is in Mansfield, acquired three Israeli companies.

“The hunger for innovation and the recognition that ideas are the new commodity create a tremendous demand for forums like this,” said Dr. Ido Schoenberg, a native Israeli and CEO of Boston-based teleheath company American Well Corp. “Innovation needs to be part of an ecosystem. It cannot stand alone.”

Unknown hackers gained access to thousands of Italian certified email accounts, including those of magistrates and security officials, in a major cyber attack earlier this month, a senior official said on Monday.

Middle East ride-hailing firm Careem has been working with investment bank Jefferies as an adviser on investment options and fundraising, including a potential Middle East M&A deal with Uber Technologies, three sources familiar with the matter told Reuters.

Tesla Inc could be interested in partnering with Daimler AG's Mercedes-Benz on an electric version of its Sprinter van, Chief Executive Officer Elon Musk said in a tweet https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/1064541185820114944 on Monday.